I used to be a regular Linux distro hopper, but now I stick with Pop!_OS: 5 reasons why

With the exception of maybe six months, for the past 10 or so years, Pop!_OS has been my default Linux distribution. This all started when I purchased my first System76 desktop machine (a Leopard Extreme, which is no longer offered). Prior to that, I was happily using elementary OS.

But I decided to give Pop!_OS a try and, lo and behold, it took a day for me to realize System76’s in-house OS was just right for me.

Also: 5 first-rate Linux distros for power users (or anyone seeking a challenge)

But what is it about Pop!_OS that keeps this Linux pro from distro hopping? After all, I used to hop from distro to distro almost yearly. Let me explain with five simple reasons. Maybe, in the end, you’ll decide to give Pop!_OS a go.

1. System76 hardware synergy

This is probably the most important reason why I use Pop!_OS. System76 has something very special going on with the combination of its hardware and software. I’ve installed other distributions on System76 hardware (such as Ubuntu Budgie) and always found I had to take some extra steps to get it to eke out all the power available on those machines. 

Also: 5 best Linux commands for troubleshooting problems (and how I use them)

When I first installed Ubuntu Budgie on my previous Thelio desktop, the PC fan wouldn’t stop. It took me a bit to realize the OS wasn’t optimized for the hardware and I had to install some specific drivers to get it back up to par with Pop!_OS. Even then, it didn’t quite run with the same level of performance. System76 is doing with Linux what Apple has done with MacOS… without the vendor lock-in or proprietary hardware and software. It has fine-tuned Pop!_OS such that it runs to perfection on its hardware. It’s hard to find that level of synergy between Linux and desktops or laptops but System76 has it going on.

2. It’s based on Ubuntu

Ubuntu is the base for so many Linux distributions for a good reason. Ubuntu has some of the best hardware recognition on the market. Generally speaking, you plug it in and Ubuntu will recognize it. Of course, it’s not perfect and there are some devices (such as scanners) that can still be problematic. But, overall, Ubuntu is outstanding in recognizing modern hardware. On top of that, you have the apt package manager and Snap (or Flatpak) packages, which make installing and managing applications incredibly easy.

3. Upcoming COSMIC desktop

For those who’ve been using Pop!_OS for some time, we’ve known that System76 had big plans for it. Those plans are coming to fruition in the form of the COSMIC desktop, which will be replacing GNOME. COSMIC desktop is built in-house and (even in its alpha stages) it’s looking like it’ll be something special. 

Also: The new COSMIC Linux desktop from System76 is out of this world

COSMIC was built using a Rust-based development environment for Pop!_OS. At first blush, you might think COSMIC looks very familiar to GNOME and you wouldn’t be wrong about that assumption. There’s a dock, a top bar, a Workspaces overview, and an Application overview. Don’t be mistaken, COSMIC is not GNOME. 

One of the things I’m most excited about in the COSMIC desktop is the app store. The Pop!_OS app store has always been a bit of a kludge and has never really been as capable as the OS itself. After a few years of using Pop!_OS, I realized that updating and installing applications was better handled by the command line. COSMIC has already fixed that problem. At the moment, the expected release date for COSMIC is planned for the Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS release. It’ll be worth the wait.

4. Specific ISO images for NVIDIA and AMD

Another outstanding aspect of Pop!_OS is that System76 makes different ISOs for different graphics. If you have Nvidia, make sure to download the Nvidia IOS from the Pop!_OS download page. If you have AMD graphics, make sure to download the default release. The reason why this is important is that it strips away some of the complexity of having to install specific graphics drivers for your hardware. Few other distributions offer this.

5. OS Recovery and Refresh

Pop!_OS offers yet another feature not found in most Linux distributions. If you open Settings and click OS Upgrade & Recovery, you’ll find two options in the OS Recovery sections: “Recovery partition update” and Refresh OS. These two items are intrinsically tied together and make it easy to do a factory refresh, without losing your user account or files. 

Should something go awry with your OS and you find yourself incapable of resolving the issue, you can refresh the OS back to the factory defaults and you’re back up and running. You must make sure the recovery partition is up to date before you run the refresh. As I said, I’ve used this feature one time and it worked flawlessly. Once the refresh was complete, I logged into my account and everything was still available in my home directory. That feature alone is worth using Pop!_OS.

Also: 5 Linux commands for quickly finding the system information you need to know

You don’t have to use System76 hardware to run Pop!_OS. If you’re in the market for a new desktop or laptop, I would strongly recommend you check out System76’s lineup. The company makes outstanding devices that last. My previous Thelio served me for seven years and ran like a champ until it was time for a replacement.